Staff Materials & Processes Engineer

Relativity Space, Inc.; Long Beach (CA); On-site; USD 150,000 - 226,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

PTO & sick leave

Parental leave

Learning stipend

Job summary

Relativity Space in Long Beach, CA is seeking a Senior Materials Engineer to define and own the material/processing qualification framework from development to verification. You will lead cross‑functional teams across manufacturing, welding, quality, design, and programs to align on decisions and drive robust qualification data.

This role emphasizes building scalable standards and documentation, presenting to leadership, and accelerating material qualification timelines.

Qualifications

• BS in Materials Science, Metallurgy, or related engineering; MS preferred.
• 8+ years in manufacturing.
• Experience leading cross-functional work without direct authority.
• Ability to present data to technical audiences and executives.
• Experience reviewing materials data and identifying failure modes.

Responsibilities

• Define and own our material and process qualification framework end to end.
• Lead a multi‑stakeholder effort across Manufacturing, Welding, Quality, Design, Programs, and Business Development, aligning teams through influential leadership and clear technical rationale.
• Own the process qualification roadmap: where we are, where we need to be, what work closes the gap, and what to fund next.
• Make the team better. Build the standards, templates, and methods that let other engineers qualify materials faster and more consistently.

Skills

Materials science

Cross-functional leadership

Technical writing

Data interpretation

Quality framework

Education

BS in Materials Science, Metallurgy, or related engineering

MS degree preferred

Job description

At Relativity Space, we're building rockets to serve today’s needs and tomorrow’s breakthroughs. Our Terran R vehicle will deliver customer payloads to orbit, meeting the growing demand for launch capacity. But that's just the start. Achieving commercial success with Terran R will unlock new opportunities to advance science, exploration, and innovation, pioneering progress that reaches beyond the known.

Joining Relativity means becoming part of something where autonomy, ownership, and impact exist at every level. Here, you're not just executing tasks; you're solving problems that haven't been solved before, helping develop a rocket, a factory, and a business from the ground up. Whether you're in propulsion, manufacturing, software, avionics, or a corporate function, you'll collaborate across teams, shape decisions, and see your work come to life in record time. Relativity is a place where creativity and technical rigor go hand in hand, and your voice will help define the stories we're writing together. Now is a unique moment in time where it's early enough to leave your mark on the product, the process, and the culture, but far enough along that Terran R is tangible and picking up momentum. The most meaningful work of your career is waiting. Join us.

About The Team

Relativity Space pioneered large-scale additive manufacturing with our Terran 1 rocket, the largest 3D‑printed object to fly. Now a distinct business unit within Relativity, Horizon Manufacturing Technologies is advancing next‑generation manufacturing for aerospace and beyond. The team operates at the frontier of manufacturing innovation, where creativity meets capability. This is an environment where cutting‑edge R&D is put into production, industrializing advanced manufacturing capabilities to solve customer problems. You'll work alongside welders, robotics engineers, data scientists, and systems engineers at the intersection of hardware and software, creating an end‑to‑end additive manufacturing platform that serves a wide variety of applications. From exploring new materials to unlocking faster print speeds, to designing complex, organic geometries that can't be built any other way, it's high‑impact work that sets the foundation for the future of advanced manufacturing.

About The Role

• Define and own our material and process qualification framework end to end, from technology development to material qualification to part verification.
• Lead a multi‑stakeholder effort across Manufacturing, Welding, Quality, Design, Programs, and Business Development, aligning teams through influential leadership and clear technical rationale.
• Own the process qualification roadmap: where we are, where we need to be, what work closes the gap, and what to fund next.
• Make the team better. Build the standards, templates, and methods that let other engineers qualify materials faster and more consistently.

Minimum Qualifications

• BS in Materials Science, Metallurgy, or a closely related engineering field. MS preferred. 8+ years in manufacturing
• Track record of building or substantially improving a qualification, process control, or quality framework used by multiple teams.
• Demonstrated ability to lead cross‑functional work without direct authority and to align engineering, quality, and business stakeholders on a decision.
• Proven ability to build and present to technical audiences, executive leadership, and customers, including defending qualification data and acceptance criteria. Writes detailed documentation and technical proposals that hold up to customer review.
• Strong ability to review materials data (metallography, tensile, charpy impact, fatigue, chemistry), deduce failure modes and root causes, judge its impact on part performance and qualification, and propose process and material solutions.

Nice to Haves

• Additive (DED or wire‑arc) or welding procedure qualification experience in a regulated industry.
• Experience with defense or naval qualification requirements and ISO9001 quality systems.
• Experience building a maturity model or gated readiness process (MRL/TRL‑style).
• Experience with copper alloys, nickel alloys, or mild steels.

At Relativity Space, we are committed to transparency and fairness in our compensation practices. Actual compensation will be determined based on experience, qualifications, and other job‑related factors.

Compensation is only one part of our total rewards package. Relativity Space offers competitive salary and equity, a generous PTO and sick leave policy, parental leave, an annual learning and development stipend, and more! To see some of the benefits & perks we offer, please visit here.

Hiring Range

$150,000—$226,000 USD

We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status.

If you need a reasonable accommodation, please contact us at [e-mail].

Please note: Relativity Space does not accept unsolicited resumes, candidate profiles, or referrals from recruitment agencies or search firms. Any unsolicited submission - via email, our website, social media, or directly to an employee - will be deemed the property of Relativity Space, and no fee will be owed absent a current, fully executed agreement with Talent Acquisition that specifically authorizes submissions for the applicable role.